Even if you’re not a specialist in Latin America, the art objects in ESCALA, whatever their theme, can help to enhance your education. A recent study by the University Museums Group showed that at University College London 67% of students from a range of disciplines said that object-based learning ‘is a more effective way of learning than listening to a talk or lecture.’

If you are a student or a member of staff and would like to know how you could use ESCALA in your learning and teaching, or you would like to find out about opportunities to work as an ESCALA Frontrunner, please get in touch.

Undergraduate Study

The University of Essex remains one of the few institutions where you can study Art from Latin America as an undergraduate. The School of Philosophy and Art History (SPAH) currently offers two modules:

- Art in Latin America I: Pre-Columbian and Early Colonial (AR219)- Art in Latin America II: Modern and Contemporary (AR341)

ESCALA also features in other modules. You can find out more about the undergraduate schemes at the SPAH website.

In this video Gisselle, from Lima, tells us how she heard about art history at Essex and what she has enjoyed about studying within Art History and with ESCALA. She tells us what she gained from securing the Bishop-McKinlay Prize. Gisselle is ESCALA's Frontrunner for 2013-2014.

Postgraduate Study - MA

The School of Philosophy and Art History (SPAH) offers MA schemes in Art History and in Centre for Curatorial Studies (CCS). Students following either scheme can specialise in Art from Latin America by taking the following module: Collecting Latin American Art (AR915) and by writing their dissertation in this area.

CCS students regularly request loans of artworks from us for inclusion in their end of year exhibition and they have the opportunity to work with us on projects, such as MIND THE GAP: Performative Symposium curated by former CCS student Marina Barsy-Janer in 2013

The School has a long-standing reputation in the field of and in Latin American art, having pioneered the teaching and research of this field. Through SPAH and ESCALA, the University of Essex has a memorandum of understanding with Tate in recognition of our longstanding collaboration in the field of Latin American art. Sir Nicholas Serota (Director, Tate) is an honorary graduate of the University of Essex.

Students who have worked with ESCALA have gone on to occupy some of the most prestigious jobs in the field of Latin American Art, including:

For more information about the MA Degress, please see the School of Philosophy and Art History's website.

In the video below, PhD student Suzanne explains how taking an art history module, as an outside option whilst she was an undergraduate student, sparked her interest in Pre-Columbian culture. She also tells us about her internship at the Minories gallery which she gained from our internships team at our Employability and Careers Centre.

Postgraduate Study - PHD

For more information about PhD courses in Art History and Theory, please refer to the School of Philosophy and Art History’s webpage.

Funding

ESCALA receives funding from the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA). The Institute for Studies on Latin American Art is an educational initiative of the Geo Global Foundationdevoted to the support of advanced research in the field of Latin American Art Studies. ISLAA plays a relevant role in promoting Latin American art through its distinguished grants and support of lectures, conferences, and publications. ISLAA facilitates grants to partnering universities and institutions which in turn award them to students, scholars, and specific projects.

For information on our ISLAA funding will focus on in 2014-2015, please contact Dr Joanne Harwood on 01206 873971 or escala@essex.ac.uk.

The University of Essex is a partner to Santander Universities, which annually gives the University a number of bursaries for undergraduate and postgraduate students wishing to study in Latin America at a Santander University. More information can be found here.

The University’s Study Abroad Office can also advise on studying at universities outside Latin America, many of which might offer courses relevant to Latin American art (e.g. in Los Angeles). For a full list of universities affiliated to the University of Essex for Study Abroad, see here.

SPAH has additional travel bursaries, including the Bishop-McKinlay prize and the Tim Laughton travel prize available (although not exclusively) to those interested in travelling to Latin America. More information on SPAH's additional travel bursaries can be found here.

Internships and work placements

ESCALA Frontrunners

Each year ESCALA is normally able to offer Frontrunner placements to students from October to June and July to September. These are paid placements for 10 hours a week and are funded by the University’s Students Union. The placements are open to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Past placements have included: Archive Assistant, Learning and Communications Frontrunner, Collections Care Frontrunner, and Archive and Collections Care Frontrunner.

Former ESCALA Frontrunners have gone onto work at the Contemporary Art Society, National Gallery, Turner Contemporary, Apollo Magazine, System Simulation Limited, or to Postgraduate Study in Latin American Art.

For more information about the Frontrunner scheme, please see their website.